


murmur, whisper. softly, quietly.

by OrangePatrick



Category: Sanders Sides
Genre: Character Study, Ficlet, Gen, Insecurity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 04:31:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangePatrick/pseuds/OrangePatrick
Summary: "things you said too quietly" - Roman character study with a splash of Prinxiety. Tiny ficlet prompted by my dear Felice forever ago that I never got around to posting.





	murmur, whisper. softly, quietly.

it's always "sorry," it's always the cut-off compliments, it's always an almost, a inhale with intent but no execution of plan.

virgil is not easily ignored- his voice is always clear no matter how quiet. roman, though: roman knows what it feels like to choke on pride, to be quiet despite knowing he shouldn't be.  
  
"it's just a joke!" he always says too loudly.  
"i didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he always says too quietly.

* * *

 maybe it's the problem of creativity: it's instinct without logic, boisterousness without morality, it becomes unhinged without anxiety. (roman never talks about being thomas's intrusive thoughts. he never quiet thanks virgil for keeping them all safe from those kinds of beasts.)

* * *

 "happy birthday," he says, low enough that virgil doesn't look back. logan, though. logan hears (almost) everything. roman doesn't like the pity:

"addressing your past and issues would be most efficient for pursuing--"

"i don't mean to. i don't mean for these things to be whispers, it's just--"

"i don't understand."

"it's just easy to ignore me, sometimes," roman settles on. he doesn't know how else to explain it, really. "i just don't know why it happens to nice things, too."

"maybe because virgil only wants to hear the antagonizing."  
  
("how, then, will i ever get him to like me?"  
but there's only so much creativity that logic can comb through before he stops listening, too. if only roman would just stop speaking so quietly.)

* * *

 "you're being stupid," virgil tells roman.

he doesn't hear the, "but am i impressing you? do you care enough to be worried? do you love me?" but rather, "i can do anything!"  
  
"i told you that you were being stupid," he says, dabbing at roman's artificial wounds.

"i know," roman says too loudly. "i'm sorry," he says, knowing no one else will hear it.

but then virgil shakes his head and says, "you should be."

* * *

and slowly, slowly, slowly, the compliments and apologies find themselves getting stronger, roman biting back his own uncertainty to make the words find volume, take up space, and logan looks at him smugly (better than pity) the first time virgil smiles, softly, and says, "thanks. that was... sweet."  
  
(he's still working on "i was wrong," "maybe that's not good for me," "i love you-- do you love me?" because maybe creativity has some of his own anxiety. he just only admits to it too quietly.)

**Author's Note:**

> I sent this to Dani and she squealed over it so I figured I would post it??


End file.
